


Day 30 (temp title)

by Huntress8611



Series: Whumptober 2019 [30]
Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Dissociation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e21 The Soldier on the Grave, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, day 30, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-15 05:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress8611/pseuds/Huntress8611
Summary: “Booth. Booth, are you okay?” she asked, opening the car door.He had dropped her off at her place, but she’d looked out the window 15 minutes later and his car was still there.





	Day 30 (temp title)

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this work is from the song ________________.
> 
> This work fills the prompt for Whumptober Day 30: Recovery.

“Booth. Booth, are you okay?” she asked, opening the car door.

He had dropped her off at her place, but she’d looked out the window 15 minutes later and his car was still there.

“Booth. Hey, can you hear me?”

He was staring at nothing. A phrase she’d heard, “thousand yard stare,” came to mind.

“Booth,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder and carefully softening her voice, “Booth, I need to help me get you out of this car. I can’t carry you.”

She guided moved her hand to tug on his arm and he climbed out of the car, letting her lead him into her home. She had him sit on the couch and got a glass of water from the kitchen, wrapping his hands around it.

“Drink it,” she instructed.

He did, raising the cup to his mouth and taking small sips. He set it down on the side table when he was done and leaned forward, burying his head in his hands. She crouched down in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was shaking. She hadn’t been able to see it earlier, but she could feel him trembling.

“Booth, I need to know if this has happened before.”

He managed a small nod.

“What can I do?”

He reached out a hand and she took it. She moved her other hand from his shoulder to his neck and gently squeezed, glad to feel him relax slightly. She made a mental note that physical contact was grounding for him, just in case.

“I know this case was hard for you. I’m sorry. It brought up some bad memories, but they’re just memories, I promise. I’m not going to lie and say it isn’t real, but it’s not happening right now. I need you to trust me, to try and come back to yourself, please.”

Booth tightened his grip on her hand and she squeezed back

“Good. Just focus on what’s around you. The couch, the room, my voice, whatever you need to come back to yourself.

His breathing hitched and she made her breaths louder, correctly inferring that he would try to match them.

Once he seemed a bit more present, she moved to sit next to him, letting go of his hand and neck, settling for a hand on his shoulder.

“Can I hug you?” she asked.

“I- I don’t-” he paused for a second before whispering, “please.”

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her side and resting a cheek on his hair.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be. Nobody can be okay all the time. I’m guessing this doesn’t happen a lot and I bet that eventually it will happen less and less. Just give it some time. You’ll be alright.”


End file.
